Marie Connolly, author of The Expectant Knitter, will be at Loop for a book signing on Saturday, November 22 from 2:30 to 4:30pm. Pick up your copy of the book and get to know a talented author and mother!

We’re always on the lookout for beautiful baby patterns. There are many, but it’s rare to see a collection as complete as The Expectant Knitter. As I thumbed through the patterns, I couldn’t help but think about all of the lucky babies and toddlers in my life who will be receiving new handknits thanks to Marie Connolly!

What’s clever about The Expectant Knitter is that the book is broken down by trimester. Simpler projects are reserved for the first and third trimester when “fatigue may get in the way of nimble knitting,” with more challenging projects rounding out the second trimester.

I love that The Expectant Knitter keeps you and your family in mind. In addition to adorable sweaters, blankets, and socks for baby, there are also sweaters for the big brother or sister, and a beautiful cashmere sweater for you!

The Expectant Knitter is a great book for the mom-to-be and a lovely addition to any knitting library!

Leigh Radford

It was well over a year ago that I stood in the Lantern Moon booth at Yarn Market talking with Leigh Radford about visiting Loop. I had taken a fantastic class with her on needle felting and was wanting more. Leigh is patient and calm, fun and inspiring, and my head was filled with new possibilities.

Leigh was working on Alterknits Felt at the time and shared some of her ideas of what it would cover. I like that the book explores different methods of felting - with roving, with knitting, with recycled sweaters and fabric. Leigh takes felting beyond the basic tote bag that was the introduction to felting for so many of us.

Shibori Scarf From Alterknits Felt

The Shibori Scarf, which is in the shop now, is a great example of what felting can be. It’s soft and drapey, but with this fabulous texture. Leigh will show us how to add this effect to our knitting in her Shibori Workshop.

Basic Needle Felted Pullover from Alterknits Felt

Leigh embellished this beautiful, yet basic, sweater with colorful needle felted roving. It brings the sweater to life and reinvigorates something that’s already in your wardrobe.

Felted Balls from Alterknits Felt

The felted balls pictured here and throughout the book captivate everyone who sees them. We have a garland of felted balls in the shop along with the pincushions and buttons pictured below. We’ll learn how to make our own in The Felted Ornaments and Jewelry Class. The felted ornaments will be great gifts for the hosts of the holiday parties you’ll go to this season.

Felted Pincushions from Alterknits Felt

These pincushions will make great gifts for all your crafty friends. And each one unique!

Felted Buttons from Alterknits Felt

And these felted buttons are a fun way to add interest to your knits - even as embellishment on pieces that don’t need buttons!

There’s still a few spaces left in Leigh’s classes. There’s no knitting required for the Felted Ornaments and Jewelry class, so this is a great one to take with your non-knitting, but crafty friends. I hope you’ll join us!

There’s been a lot of excitement in the crochet world in the last few years. Doris Chan went from hobbyist to top designer with her exploded lace motifs in Amazing Crocheted Lace, and followed up with fashion-forward and very wearable garments in Everyday Crochet. NY designer Teva Durham gave us Loop-d-Loop Crochet, pushing boundaries as she always does. And crochet revolutionary, Kim Werker, founder of CrochetMe.com, joined Interweave as Editor of Interweave Crochet where she took it from an annual special edition to a full quarterly magazine.

This resurgence has brought many new talented designers to the craft, and one of them that we’re very taken with is Robyn Chachula. Robyn’s designs have appeared in online and print magazines like CrochetMe.com and Interweave Crochet. This season alone, she completed a booklet for Mission Falls called Mission Falls Goes Crochet, and released her first book, Blueprint Crochet from Interweave Press.

We’re celebrating Robyn’s book and her designs on Saturday and Sunday, November 15 and 16 when she’ll visit Loop for the first time!

Robyn’s designs are fun and fresh, and reflect her upbeat and optimistic spirit. Here’s a look inside Blueprint Crochet -

Robyn’s classes offer something for everyone from beginners to advanced crocheters. Take a look at the listings, grab a friend, and sign up today!

Knit and crochet designer Leigh Radford will be here Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 31, November 1 and 2 for a book signing and to teach three classes. Leigh’s third book, Alterknits Felt, was released last month and is the basis for her classes.

Leigh was the Art Director of Interweave Knits for many years and often had patterns in the magazine. In 2005, she wrote her first book, Alterknits: Imaginative Projects and Creativity Exercises. Her second book, One Skein: 30 Quick Patterns to Knit or Crochet, was released in 2006.

The Circle and Stripe Bag

Leigh uses knitting, crocheting, felting, embroidery, beading, needle-felting and other techniques in her designs, often employing more than one in the same project. She is tremendously creative and adventurous in her work. I took a class with Leigh in 2007 and left feeling inspired and empowered to be more creative in my own crafting.

The Pleated Collar

I hope you’ll read the class descriptions and sign up for one of her classes. Not only is Leigh a lovely person who will inspire you, the timing is also great because so many of the class projects make wonderful holiday gifts.

Hazel and Maude Pot Holders

The projects shown here are a sampling of what’s in Alterknits Felt. The book is in the shop now and we’ll have copies on hand for her visit.

Needle Felted Pillows

I hope you’ll join us!

On Saturday morning, Clara gave a class based on her book, The Knitter’s Book of Yarn. She’d made each of us a little booklet with holes punched to tie on the yarn and fiber samples she gave us.

(The class was held in our new fabric shop, Spool, in case you’re thinking the room doesn’t look familiar!)

We learned about fiber and different ways of spinning it, the advantages and disadvantages of various yarn types (2-ply, 3-ply, etc) and how to use the yarns to maximize the good and minimize the bad. It was new information for many of us and really changed how we’ll approach yarn selection in the future.

After class, Clara stayed in the shop for a few hours and helped the students and other customers choose yarn. She even did a little shopping herself (and I can tell you, she has a fondness for pink mohair!).

As always, the time passed too quickly. Clara’s at work on a second book (yeah!) and hopefully she’ll come see us again when it’s out!

We had a wonderful time last night with Clara Parkes. You could tell from the number of people who came with their own copy of The Knitter’s Book of Yarn just how popular it is. Unlike some books that you love at first, but then sit on your shelf, this is one you’ll come back to again and again.

Clara signed lots of books. Here she is (seated) with Marth.

And here’s Clara with Mindy and Lisa. Clara’s class this morning is full, but she’ll be in the shop for a little while if you’d still like to meet her.

There I was doing-the-do yesterday when I looked up and saw who I think is Mags Kandis. And if you’ve met Mags, then you know that if you think it’s her, it’s probably her. She’s a beautiful woman with a fantastic and distinctive style. I only hesitated because Mags lives outside Toronto, which is not that far, but not that close to Philadelphia. But anyway, yes, it was Mags!

If you’re thinking that you don’t know who Mags Kandis is, I assure you that you do. She’s the creative force behind Mission Falls Yarns, has published countless patterns in magazines like Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits, and is author of the fabulous book, Folk Style. I had the pleasure of meeting her earlier this year and have been hoping to get to her visit. And here she was!

It turns out that Mags and her husband wanted to get out of snowy Toronto, so they had driven to Florida to watch the shuttle launch. On their way home they stopped in Philadelphia and at Loop.

Now that she was here, I talked to Mags about returning to teach a few classes. She’s a master of stranded knitting and intarsia; her creativity is boundless and contagious. I think I convinced her.

As suddenly as she appeared, Mags was gone again. Her visit was a very pleasant surprise. Next time, I hope you can meet her too!

Clara Parkes is coming to Loop March 21 and 22 to celebrate her first book, The Knitter’s Book of Yarn: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Using, and Enjoying Yarn. Clara is publisher of the popular site KnittersReview.com and a contributing editor to Interweave Knits magazine. Join us for a cocktail party and book signing from 5 to 8 pm on Friday, March 21.

Learn about fiber and yarn with Clara on Saturday from 10:30 to 12 noon -

Take on a behind-the-skeins tour of our yarn world. Using the fundamental yarn facts presented in my book, we’ll walk through the flora and fauna of yarn, from the ways fibers get prepared for spinning all the way to how they are spun and the different ply scenarios you may encounter. I’ll share tips for “reading” skeins on the shelf, testing your swatches at home, and troubleshooting problems.

The class fee is $40. Space is limited and is filled on a first-come first-served basis - reserve your place today!

The Knitter’s Book of Yarn is the must-have encyclopedic resource book on yarn. This exhaustive tome contains chapters on fiber foundations, making yarn, and twist and ply. Fiber Foundations details a variety of fibers, including protein, cellulose, cellulosic, and synthetic. Making Yarn includes detailed information on mills and microspinneries, the top fiber festivals, common dye techniques, and the different ways fibers are prepared for spinning. Finally, Ply Me a River puts it all together with sections about single-, two-, three-, and four-ply yarn, as well as about several more complex types of yarn—with 40 patterns designed expressly for each type of yarn.

Clara has created a resource that you’ll refer to again and again. If you enjoy her book and her wonderful KnittersReview.com newsletters, you’ll enjoy meeting her in person even more. I hope you’ll join us!

We had a blast with Susan B. Anderson when she came to the shop earlier this month. She’s funny, energetic, and possesses a seemingly limitless excitement for knitting for kids. Everyone loved the sweaters, pillows, blankets, and toys from her book Itty Bitty Nursery.

Lots of folks brought their kids, which made this event especially fun. Nicole drove 2 hours to meet Susan. She had her daughter Maeve with her, whose the youngest of her 8 kids (there’s a picture of the whole family on her blog)! Just imagine the holiday knitting list! Maeve is wearing a hat that Nicole knit from Susan’s first book, Itty Bitty Hats.

I need to thank Susan’s sister Dawn for the great photographs. She and Susan are like two peas in a pod and great fun. I wish we’d had more time to spend together. You can see more of the pictures she took and read about Dawn’s celebrity sightings in New York on Susan’s blog.

Susan and I discussed her returning to Loop after her next book is published to teach some classes. Until then, there are still a few autographed copies of Itty Bitty Nursery in the shop for those of you who missed her and want to knit some of her designs.

We’re happy to tell you that Beth Brown-Reinsel will be here January 26 and 27, 2008 to teach 3 classes. Beth is a master of traditional knitting techniques as well as an author and designer. She calls teaching her true love, and if you’ve taken a class with her, then you know her gentle, patient nature and her good sense of humor make her one of the best.

On this visit, Beth will teach Fair Isle Tams, a 6-hour class, along with Norwegian Purl and Introduction to Twined Knitting, which are both 3-hour classes. You can find the details on our Classes & Events page.

We had a wonderful time the last time Beth was here; I’m sure we will again. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn with one of the greats. (Maybe put this at the top of your holiday wishlist!) Call to register today!